Dr. Mordecai Dworkin
Dr. Mordecai ("Morty") Dworkin is a professor of Ichthyology and Liminology (the study of freshwater ecosystems) at the University of Connecticut, specializing in freshwater river deltas. His primary fieldwork has been in the Mississippi River Delta, Georgia's Okeefenokee Swamp, and Florida's Everglades. This expedition is his first time overseas. "Dr. Morty" is Jeff Crider's reserve PC. Personality and Appearance Imagine Peter Lorre with a normal, Connecticut accent, and you've pretty much got him nailed. He's got those same lidded, bug-eyes and is a little furtive and nervous looking but oddly likable. He is a fierce ''egalitarian thanks to a childhood of being picked on as one of the only Jewish kids in town, and he is equally insistent that credit be given where credit is due. However, he's a little weasely on his personal details and obsessive about his chosen field of study. Do not make him lose his catch when fishing, or he will be ''furious, and growing up as the picked on kid made him grow up surprisingly tough for his short stature. Morty is used to working alone in the wilderness for weeks on end without human contact, hardening him to isolation. His lies to others about his background and identity to avoid racism wars with his upbringing to stand up for himself and his people, leaving his sense of self damaged. He likes to be called "Dr. Morty" rather than "Dr. Dworkin" by students and colleagues to make things more friendly. Unfortunately, few people go along with it since it sounds ridiculous. Background Morty's parents were two Jews living in Vienna, Austria who were part of the Zionist movement Kadimah who decided to flee Europe to America in 1899 after all the dirty laundry of the Dreyfus Affair in France had been aired out and had shocked the Eurpoean Jewish community. Morty was born as the third son (and first native-born) in 1903 after the couple had moved into America to work as a veterinarian and as a seamstress. Morty was the small kid and the weird kid growing up in the outskirts of Stamford, Connecticut. His parents' tough determination to stand up for themselves and to try to make a place for themselves to live passed on to Morty. He ended up being picked on and getting into a lot of fights as a kid and as a teen. A few incidents with racist cops blaming everything on him and punishing him for "starting" the fights would lead to a life long fear of racists in authority over him. He hasn't been back to his hometown since the KKK rallies of the mid 20s, and he's worried about his extended family back in Austria. Eventually, he found a bit of peace in fishing the Rippowam River and became a fishing fanatic. Morty is one of only two (of five) brothers in his family to go to college, and his love for fishing pushed him to study ichthyology. Since then, he's become a dedicated hunter of rare and undiscovered fish species to catalog and examine with a side interest in amphibian species. While his religious background and ethnicity is relatively well accepted in academia, he has been snubbed a few times for recognition for his work, and was left off of a few papers he authored as a grad student which has given him a chip on his shoulder about seeing that credit is given where due. He often lies about his background to avoid persecution. Better to be shifty and odd than to be Jewish in the 20s & 30s. Morty avoided service in the Great War largely out of fear of a chain of command without the ability to quit and find a new boss if his boss turned out anti-Semitic. He was drafted at one point but avoided service thanks to being only 5'3" tall despite being more than tough enough for basic. Base Stats Obsession: Discovering new species. (Biology) Rage Stim: Losing his catch. Fear Stim: Racists with authority and power. (Helplessness.) Noble Stim: Insists on credit where credit is due for others. (e.g. Grad students.) Body: 70 (Stringy & Tough) Spry (Gen. Ath.) 35%, Knives (Str.) 35%, Still and Unnoticed* 50%, Not Tasty** 50% * Fishing is covered under this skill's penumbra, including spear & net fishing. ** Resist parasites, biting insects, and diseases. Get animals to stop trying to eat you. Turns off potential dates too, unfortunately. Speed 50 (Nervous Energy) Go For Cover! (Dodge) 50%, Canoeing (Driving) 30%, Initiative 25% Mind 60 (Focused) Biology (Gen.Ed.) 60%, Suspicious Nature (Notice) 40%, Conceal 15% Soul 60 (Odd but Likable) Chutzpah (Charm) 35%, Field Sketchwork 15%, Lie 40%